Joe Biden Use of 'Cheat Sheets' at Private Events Raising Concerns From Big-Time Donors
Barack Obama's former aide said concerns over Joe Biden's age is 'a very real issue.'
Feb. 23 2024, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
President Joe Biden alarmed Democratic donors when he leaned on "cheat sheets" while addressing a crowd at a recent fundraising event, RadarOnline.com has learned.
While it's not unusual for Biden, 81, to use notecards — which sometimes include cues on where to sit and stand — donors were reportedly concerned that he used pre-written prompts while speaking with donors at private events.
The two ex-Obama aides agreed that Biden needed to increase camera time to combat concerns.
Biden's fundraising events typically follow the same pattern, which includes an opening statement, often with the use of a teleprompter. Though cameras are not permitted, reporters are present. After opening statements, reporters are escorted out of the room and a closed-door meeting with donors begins.
Though the practice has become routine, the president's reliance on cards while discussing his policies has concerned some high-level donors.
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Donors worry about Biden's ability to handle the campaign trial and debates with Donald Trump.
According to Axios, Q&A sessions in which Biden leaned on the "cheat sheets" prompted some donors to wonder whether or not the 81-year-old can handle another grueling campaign, including debates with GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, 77.
Biden's advisors reportedly clarified that the president uses notecards for "very detailed and technical questions," but gives candid answers at Q&A sessions.
The Biden Campaign additionally dismissed concerns that he uses notecards at private events.
Ex-senior advisor to Obama Dan Pfeiffer called Biden's age a 'threshold issue' in a separate issue.
It's important to note that Biden is not the first president in history to carry notecards, especially during important addresses. Past presidents, including Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush, all relied on "cheat sheets" while in office.
The Biden campaign has reportedly chalked up using notecards at private events as the work of a "detail-oriented staff" and their efforts to ensure critical fundraising events run smoothly.
The Biden campaign is on a fundraising spree with several events scheduled on the West coast and Paris, France.
Biden's strenuous fundraising efforts have quite literally paid off. The Democrat president raised a whopping $42 million in January, bringing his war chest total to over $130 million to help him beat his likely Republican opponent Trump in November.
Despite concerns from some donors, others made a point to note that the president gave candid answers during Q&A sessions at recent events.
"He's always been an extemporaneous speaker, and he spoke off-the-cuff. Not scripted at all," said Fred P. Hochberg, who attended a fundraiser in Manhattan.
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Hochberg added, "I asked him about immigration and the border, and he talked about what's going on."
Biden certainly wasn't reading off a notecard at a recent event in San Francisco on Wednesday, where he branded Vladimir Putin a "crazy SOB."
Biden has zig-zagged between coasts with events in New York, Nevada and California. The president also plans to travel across the pond to Paris, France, where Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is expected to host a high-profile fundraiser.
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